U.S. Secretary of State Seeks Consular Input for AILA Meeting
Posted Apr 05, 2001

As readers of the MurthyBulletin may have noted from past articles, attorney representatives of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) meet from time to time with officials of the various agencies responsible for administration of the U.S. immigration system: the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). This ongoing communication is helpful not only to the attorneys and their clients, but also to the agencies, since it is an avenue to provide information on the government's concerns, helping to educate the public on issues the employees of the agencies face on a day-to-day basis.

On March 14, 2001, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell issued a telegram to all consular offices, requesting input for the scheduled meeting on March 22, 2001 between the DOS's Visa Office and AILA. Secretary Powell pointed out that the meeting is an opportunity to raise any questions arising from the consulates' experiences with AILA member attorneys and their clients. Obviously, this telegram is another indication of the importance DOS places on AILA's role in the immigration system, and shows that the liaison meetings are of mutual benefit. As AILA member attorneys, we at The Law Office of Sheela Murthy can certainly confirm that AILA's constructive dialogue with the agencies has been very valuable for all concerned and we are proud to be active members contributing to AILA.